Closure



June 14, 1966 E. A. WINSTON CLOSURE Filed Jan. 25, 1965 INVENTOR EMANUEL A WINSTON BY gi /WM 4 5Z5? ATTORNEYS FIG. 6 I

FIG. 5

United States Patent 3,255,910 CLOSURE Emanuel A. Winston, 2925 W. Touhy Ave., Chicago, IlL, assignor of seven and one-half percent to Stefan M. Stein, Chicago, Ill.

Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 427,765 Claims. (Cl. 215-74) This invention relates to a closure, and more particularly to a closure wherein accidental ingestion of the liquid or powder contents of the container by a young child is effectively prevented. [n essence, it is a childproof closure designed for easy installation into the neck of the containers, bottles, jars and the like by existing bottling machinery.

The marketing of a variety of liquid and powder products for home use has presented many unique problems to the manufacturer. Some of these products are harmful when ingested or when applied to the skin of a human or an animal. The product was obviously not intended to be used in such manner. Nevertheless, the consuming public has frequently placed vicarious liability upon the manufacturer for accidents arising out of accidental ingetion or contact unless warning and antidote statements appears on the label. The recent Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act summarizes such liability.

With such a turn in public attitude, it behooves the manufacturer to take every precaution to avoid accidental ingestion or spillage, especially by the unwary child of tender years.

Several devices currently exist on the market with such a purpose, but each is merely designed for a particular product. In one designed for liquid aspirin, a ball located inside the container is spring-biased upward to seal the interior end of the neck of the container. An

eye-dropper is needed to open the bottle and dispense the product. Obviously, only drops of liquid may be dispensed with such a device, thus it is not useful for liquid or powder products which are poured. In another, a snap-on lid is used which requires strong actuating force to remove it. The need to exert an undue amount of force is objectionable to the user, especially the female user. In still another, designed solely for tablets, a rotatable member dispenses the tablets, one at a time, hopefully discouraging the child, by the tedious singular dispensing action. Usually, the rotation requires a force greater than a child can comfortably exert. But, as should be evident, this requirement for extra rotational force may likewise be uncomfortable to the adult user, particularly the female user.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel closure for a container.

Another object is to provide a closure which may be easily and economically manufactured and inserted into the neck of a container.

A further object is to provide a closure which automatically closes the dispensing port 'of the container to prevent accidental ingestion, spillage, or even contact with the contents.

A still further object is to provide a closure which is easily opened without undue force.

Another object is to provide a closure which permits the use of caps capable of being applied to a container with existing cap machinery.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the "ice article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a container in which a-neck insert and upon which a cap of this invention has been mounted.

FIG. 2 is a top cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIG. 1 taken along lines 2-2 FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1, with the cap removed, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the neck insert of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a seal for the neck insert of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial side cross-sectional view of still another seal for another embodiment of the neck insert.

'FIG. 7 is a top view of the neck insert and the neck of the container of FIG. 4 taken along line 77.

FIG. 8 is a side pictorial view, partly in section, show ing the interaction of the cap with the neck insert of the closure of this invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

A novel closure has now been devised for a container which prevents accidental ingestion or spillage of the contents of said container. The closure, in its broadest aspects, comprises a neck insert 10 and a cap 12 which can act upon the neck insert to open and to retain the neck insert in an open condition. The neck insert comprises a cup-like member With a bottom flap which is normally closed by its own resiliency. Such can easily be accomplished by molding the neck insert of a resilient plastic, such as polypropylene, with the hinge 16 biased to favor closing of the flap. The cap has the customary design so that it can be applied with standard capping machinery currently existing in the packaging trade. However, it also contains a flap opening nib 28 which, as seen in FIG. 8, may be used to open and then retain flap 14 open. It should be evident to the reader from the illustration in FIGS. 3 and 8 that the closure of this invention normally prevents ingestion, spillage or even contact, especially by a youngster of tender years, until he inserts the nib of the cap into the neck insert. Since the mind of a child of tender years is incapable of performing this double function, he is stymied and does not attempt to open the closure. In contrast, the adult user may immediately dispense the product from the container in customary fashion and without the need for auxiliary apparatus or devices.

Now referring to the drawings in detail, the closure comprises two parts; namely, a neck insert 10 and a cap 12 of unique design.

The neck insert, as seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, is cupshaped and fits, preferably by a force fit, Within the neck or dispensing port 18 of the container. It has a hinged flap 14 as its base. This hinged flap may have various angles, such as 30 to the horizontal (see FIG. 3), or completely horizontal (as seen 'in FIG. 4). The hinge 16 is preferably an integral hinge formed during fabrication to bias the flap closed. It is preferred that the fabrication be by injection molding and that resilient plastic such as polypropylene and the like be used for such moldingp These newer plastics retain their resiliency during extended periods of time, thereby insuring that the flap will continue to function during the life of the container.

The outer surface of the neck or dispensing orifice contains the customary threads 22 usually associated with a bottle or container of the type illustrated.

FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment of a hinge 16. In this instance, the hinge is spaced chordally across the dispensing orifice.

FIGS. and 6, as well as FIGS. 3 and 4, illustrate various seal structures for the fiap. In FIG. 3, and in FIG. 4, the fiap is biased against an angular surface, whereas in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fiap has a stepped and a curvilinear type surface 24 and 26, respectively, said surfaces providing for specific type of scaling for particular products, such as liquids or powders.

The cap 12 of the closure of this tomary inverted cup-shape design, but in this instance, contains a flap opening nib 28. This nib is of such a length that it will extend into the neck insert and force the fiap 14 open, such as illustrated in FIG. 8. It should be evident that use of the cap is fairly simple. All the user need do is unscrew the cap from the bottle and then insert it as shown. To enable easier positioning of the nib 28 in the neck insert 10, the latter may have a slot 30 on its inner surface, at the hinge end. In the preferred form of slot, the upper end is wider than the lower end to facilitate entry of the nib.

With respect to the cap, it may be utilized upon currently existing capping machinery, so that no redesign need occur. This is particularly attractive to the trade since there is a large investment in such machinery and it should not be outmoded by the mere redesign of a cap; All that actually has to be redesigned is the chuck member of the cap machinery.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

invention is of cusclaimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a container having a necked dispensing orifice, a closure for said orifice comprising a neck insert located within said orifice, with a flap which normally seals said orifice, and a cap capable of capping said necked dispensing orifice, said cap having a flap opening nib on its outside edge, whereby said cap may be mounted in an offset manner on said orifice with the nib extending into said neck insert to open and retain said iiap in an open condition.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said neck insert comprises a cup-shaped body member with a hinged singular fiap forming its base, said fiap normally sealing said onifice via a seal surface about its periphery matching a seal surface on the lower end of said cup-shaped body, the hinge of said fiap acting to bias said flap in a closed condition.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said neck insert comprises a cup-shaped body member with a hinged singular flap forming its base, said flap normally sealing said orifice via an arcuate sealed surface about its periphery matching an arcuate sealed surface on the lower end of said cup-shaped body.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said neck insert comprises a cup-shaped body member with a hinged singular flap forming its base, said flap normally sealing said orifice via a stepped sealed surface about its periphery matching a stepped sealed surface on the lower end of said cup-shaped body.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the cap comprises an inverted cup-shaped body having a flap opening nib extending from one side and on the outside thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,487,274 11/ 1949 Schaffer.

3,004,566 10/1961 Rai'mo.

3,005,455 10/1961 Poitras et al. 21556 3,067,787 12/ 1962 Salk 21576 JOSEPH R LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, GEORGE O. RALSTON;

Examiners. R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CONTAINER HAVING A NECKED DISPENSING ORIFICE, A CLOSURE FOR SAID ORIFICE COMPRISING A NECK INSERT LOCATED WITH SAID ORIFICE, WITH A FLAP WHICH NORMALLY SEALS SAID ORIFICE, AND A CAP CAPABLE OF CAPPING SAID NECKED DISPENSING ORIFICE, SAID CAP HAVING A FLAP OPENING NIB ON ITS OUTSIDE EDGE, WHEREBY SAID CAP MAY BE MOUNTED IN AN OFF SET MANNER ON SAID ORIFICE WITH THE NIB EXTENDING INTO SAID NECK INSERT TO OPEN AND RETAIN SAID FLAP IN AN OPEN CONDITION. 